Leadership in times of crisis: 4 ways it can strengthen a school

About two months into the war impacting the Middle East, I spoke to an experienced headteacher and asked how they were holding up. They replied, “Ah, I quite like a crisis. As least you know what you have got to do for a change.”

Of course, no leader wants to go through a crisis. Yet the reality is that schools can face circumstances you never imagined, and it leaves you with no choice but to deal with the cards you are dealt.

The pandemic was one such situation. And for those of us leading schools in the Middle East, the war that began in February was another - and one that came with a host of challenges that tested us like never before as missiles and drones flew overhead.

Yet, tough as this was, it was also a reminder that a time of crisis can also be a time of clarity, of community and connection. While I would not wish to repeat it, of course, it shows that even in the darkest moments we can find positives to take forward.

How a crisis can bring clarity to school leadership

1. You develop a laser focus on what matters

When you are in crisis management, you exist almost entirely in the present. Even contingency planning is based upon the present set of circumstances and possible ramifications. Strategic development plans and long-term projects take a back seat.

While it is not without stress, there is a liberation or perhaps even meditative quality to this. You are in a flow state and exist almost entirely to calmly manage the ongoing situation, working with the limited information available to you.

It would be glib to say it is enjoyable, but it does give life a vibrancy and relevance that embeds a purpose and meaning to your actions. Sometimes school leadership can be riddled with the existential: “Why am I doing this? What is the point of this change? Is this superficial?”

A crisis means the main thing is the main thing. You need to check that everyone is safe, provide support as best you can and communicate calmly and with clarity.

2. An appreciation of excellence

Linked to the above, the need to focus on the most important things, do them well and do them without delay can help to clarify roles and create connection between staff far more effectively than any team-building exercise.

I feel closer and more connected to the SLT due to what we went through together. I am inspired by the quality of their response and the endless depths of their energy and commitment.

While I am not asking to do it again, as a team our roles and interactions are much clearer now due to them being tested in the most extreme of circumstances.

3. Stronger connections

I arrived in Dubai in 2024 to an educational eco-system that is complex, fast-paced and competitive.

That competitiveness evaporated almost overnight when the war began, though, as everyone recognised the need to work together to support one another through the conflict.

My phone would regularly ring from leaders, who have now become firm friends, because they had nobody else to talk to who quite understood. They needed to vent, they needed to check their decisions and, most of all, they needed to laugh.

I feel closer to the associations, such as British Schools in the Middle East, the Council of British International Schools and HMC, thanks the support they offered throughout and the network they provided.

I feel more grateful to the Dubai government and its Knowledge and Human Development Authority, both for how they protected civilians but also for the humanity that they showed and how easy it was to get them on the phone at almost any time of the day or night.

Someone asked me, “Has the war made you want to leave Dubai?” I replied, “The war has made me want to stay. Now it feels like home.”

4. Learning what matters in leadership

I remember being an assistant head and thinking that I had all the answers and being continually excited by the next big thing or the newest initiative that would change everything.

Perhaps I have lost that zest, but I think not. I think wisdom is the right use of knowledge, and from this crisis, I really reflected on what leadership takes and what people need.

When they have problems people need to be heard, they need to know you actually care, they need you to be there not always to solve the problem but just to share the load.

Most of all, leadership narrows to an understanding that when it comes down to it, nothing really matters other than people, relationships and safety.

As outlined, I do not mean to make light of war or crises, but do I feel that the school and the team are now stronger, kinder and more effective than before those first explosions.

Tomas Duckling is headmaster of Dubai College in the United Arab Emirates